PODCAST · business
The Build: Restaurant 201
by Tilit NYC
After building one of New York’s most beloved taqueria groups, the team behind Taqueria Ramirez enters a new phase: three new restaurants in one year, a James Beard nomination, a new chef partnership, and a seafood wine bar opening in the West Village. This season follows Giovanni, Tania, Chef Carlos, and the Ramirez team as they scale from cult favorite to growing restaurant group, without losing the precision, personality, and trust that got them here. RSSVERIFY
Episodes
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A New Chef Partnership Brings New Opportunities
Scaling a restaurant group means bringing more people into the center of the business. That only works when authority, trust, and expectations are clear. This episode explores the partnership between Giovanni Cervantes, Tania Apolinar, and Chef Carlos Barrera as they build El Camarón Peludo...
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Meet El Camarón Peludo
El Camarón Peludo is not Taqueria Ramirez with seafood. It is a new full service restaurant with its own identity. In this episode, Tania and Chef Carlos Barrera take us inside the development of the group’s seafood-focused restaurant and wine bar in New York City’s West Village. We talk about…
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From 2 Restaurants to 4: The Expansion Map
Opening one restaurant is hard. Opening several at the same time requires a completely different operating system. Gio and Tania walk us through the opportunities that moved the Ramirez group from two restaurants toward four, including Soccerria, a new Taqueria Ramirez location in Carroll…
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Restaurant 201: From Taqueria to Restaurant Group
What changes when a beloved neighborhood restaurant becomes a growing restaurant group? In the Season Three premiere of The Build, we meet Giovanni Cervantes and Tania Apolinar, the founders of Taqueria Ramirez and Carnitas Ramirez. They share how a photography studio, a pandemic pivot, and a…
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The Build, Episode 9 — Opening Day
After months of planning, it all comes down to opening day — nerves, joy, and community collide. In this episode of The Build, Rasheeda takes us behind the scenes of the final countdown. From a friends-and-family soft opening to the first customer reactions, this is the payoff of launching a...
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The Build, Episode 8 —The Flow is the Flavor
Great service is as memorable as the food itself — and the buzz starts before the doors open. In this episode of The Build, Rasheeda defines her restaurant’s steps of service and launches her pre-opening marketing strategy. From rituals to Instagram captions, it’s all about creating connections...
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The Build, Episode 7 — People, Payroll & the Plan
Restaurants run on people. Hiring, training, and planning payroll can make or break a business. In this episode of The Build, Rasheeda shares how she’s building her team with intention. From creating a culture of equity to managing wages and building sustainable financial models, it’s a candid…
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The Build, Episode 6 — POS-itive Energy
Behind every smooth guest experience is technology that makes it all possible. In this episode of The Build, Rasheeda sets up a Square-powered POS system that brings efficiency, data, and seamless retail to her new restaurant. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at how tech and hospitality work hand in...
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The Build, Episode 5 — Layers of Flavor, Layers of Story
Every dish tells a story. At Ramen by Ra, the menu is more than recipes — it’s a reflection of culture, innovation, and community. In this episode of The Build, Rasheeda explores the process of menu creation. From broth to bao, she experiments with flavor, menu pricing, and neighborhood...
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The Build, Episode 4 — Can You Taste a Brand?
A restaurant isn’t just food. It’s an experience you can see, touch, and even taste. In this episode of The Build, Rasheeda dives into the creative side of building a restaurant brand. From packaging to signage to merch, she shares how story, design, and sensory detail work together to shape the...
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The Build, Episode 3 — The Build (Literally)
Permits, contractors, and design dreams — restaurant building isn’t just physical, it’s emotional. In this episode of The Build, Rasheeda walks us through the realities of construction. From dealing with red tape to contractor surprises and design compromises, it’s a raw look at the literal...
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The Build, Episode 2 — Finding Space & Funding Growth
Real estate, leases, and the nerve-wracking search for funding — this chapter of Rasheeda’s journey shows the high stakes of restaurant expansion. In this episode of The Build, Rasheeda takes us inside her hunt for the perfect East Village space. From negotiating lease terms to navigating loans,...
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Episode 1: Ramen 2.0 — Bigger Bowl, Bigger Stakes
Ambition, pressure, and a splash of chaos — Rasheeda’s story of expanding Asa-Ramen is about more than broth and noodles. In this episode of The Build: Ramen by Ra, Rasheeda shares her origin story and what drives her leap to expand into a bigger, bolder restaurant. From New York’s dining culture...
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The Build: Opening Day
It’s the day we’ve been waiting for all season: Ursula is open! In this episode we hear the staff celebrating on opening night, and debrief with Eric and Lani about surviving their first week of service. Plus, Jenny and Alex reminisce on the opening - and closing - days of their restaurant Goods....
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The Build: The Final Countdown
It’s the final week before opening and a LOT is happening. Moving day, construction, staff training, friends and family; this episode has it all. Plus, a visit from Ursula herself! The Build is produced by Taylor Early, Armen Spendjian, H Conley, Matt Patterson, and hosted by Alex McCrery and…
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The Build: Laughing, Crying, Making Burritos
On this season of Opening Soon– which we are affectionately calling The Build– we’re taking a look at all aspects of opening a brick and mortar. In today’s episode, we’ll hop onto a rollercoaster of emotions. We’re painting a picture of how self care and mental health look during a build, and…
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The Build: What Are We Drinking?
In this episode of The Build; tune into Eric - in conversation with his collaborators - as he spends time intentionally sourcing ingredients, wines and spirits for his new beverage menus at Ursula's new home. If you want to hear more John deBary, he's creating a limited-run companion podcast with...
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The Build: Whose Job is it Anyway?
The Build takes a deep dive into the process of building up a new restaurant from signing the lease to opening day. In this episode, not only do you get more glimpses at the fun aesthetic bits, but you’ll also hear about the processes and systems behind making sure customers feel taken care of in...
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The Build: Who’s the Team?
Welcome to the latest episode of The Build! In this episode, we explore the world of Ursula: meet new team members and take a deep dive into the values and systems that Eric and Lani plan to instill in the new location. Plus, get a glimpse at how the team is restructuring compensation for…
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The Build: Money Earnin’, or Money Burnin’
On this season of Opening Soon, called The Build, we’re following along one chef’s journey from open to close… and all of the pieces in between. In this episode, we talk money, honey! From putting together the capital to get the process started, to figuring out how your brick and mortar can make...
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The Build: Concept to Creation
With The Build, we’re pulling back the curtain to reveal the nitty gritty details of turning a concept into a living, breathing, eatery. In this episode we tackle one of the biggest obstacles to realizing your concept: the lease. Plus, this episode introduces a key player in making Ursula 2.0 a...
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The Build: Spending Time You May Not Have
In The Build, we’re following one chef’s journey to open a brand new restaurant, from signing the lease until the doors actually open. If you haven't listened to the first episode, you should start there. In this episode, we hear some of our earliest recordings with Eric, where he fills us in on...
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Introducing “The Build”
In this season of Opening Soon, we’re undertaking a project we’ve been wanting to do for years. In The Build, we’re going to follow one chef’s journey to open a brand new restaurant as it’s happening. From the moment that they signed the lease until the doors are actually open, you’ll get to...
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Presenting Copper & Heat: Zero Stars
Today we present to you an episode from one of our favorite hospitality insider podcasts, Copper & Heat. Listen in for an amazing deep dive into the world behind the Michelin guide... If you were to rate the Michelin Guide, how many stars would you give it? When Katy was working in the Bay Area…
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Flour + Water: Renovations, Reinventions, and a New CPG Line
Most restaurateurs build their business with the hope of making it as long as today’s guest. 13 strong years. But how do you know when it’s time to rethink the space, the concept, or even the menu? And how do you do it in a way to that can reinvigorate that energy while keeping your brand and…
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An All Day Bread Cafe: Opening Loaf Lounge
The pandemic gave and it took from us. Focusing on the upside to a worldwide pandemic may seem unusual, but in reality the covid era gave birth to some fresh ideas and many creative businesses. Some of those have since turned permanent. Our guests today are chefs Sarah Mispagel and Ben Lustbader…
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Coming Soon: “The Build,” From Opening Soon
Coming this spring we're working on something BIG for Opening Soon. Opening a restaurant can sometimes take months, or even years. This spring, you'll be able to hear it all happen in just a few hours... Tune in as we follow one of Brooklyn's best and brightest young chefs and restaurateurs on...
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Clover Hill Version 2 Dazzles Diners in Brooklyn Heights
We often hear when one door closes another one opens. That is quite literally the case for Clover Hill in BK. It was the pandemic that forced the closure of the 4 month old Brooklyn Heights restaurant, but the re-opening of their doors 2 years later came with a fresh culinary team and today’s…
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Cloudy Donut Lands in Brooklyn Heights
Donuts. Entrepreneurship. Donuts. Our guest today is Zewiditu Jewel bringing vegan donuts from Baltimore to Brooklyn. Zewiditu is the shop operator for the Brooklyn Heights location of Cloudy Donuts, and they have been working on their 3rd location - the Brooklyn Heights bakery - for 2 years, and...
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Making the MáLà Project a Household Name With Amelie Kang
When I was running down my culinary goals I had hoped to head a NYC kitchen by the time I was 30. It seemed ambitious at the time and I was equally proud once achieved. But it pales in comparison to the drive and success of today’s guest. She can proudly say that she’s the owner of 3 restaurants...
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How to Open an Approachable Neighborhood Chophouse With Chef Chris and James of Gus’s
If you’re involved in hospitality then you have, or maybe should have, read Danny Meyer’s industry guidebook to success, Setting the Table. One of the things you’ll garner is the importance of understanding a neighborhood, and of building a group of restaurants with easy access to one another.…
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People Over Profits: Hospitality the Strangebird Way With Natalie Freihon
As most of our listeners know, we are also the founders and operators of Tilit, so we appreciate great style when it crosses our path. Our guest today, a longtime hospitality professional, had such style (and still has) when she first came into our showroom years ago. So we’re doubly excited to...
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Lessons From Their Frist Year With Esme
Traditionally we chat with restaurant entrepreneurs who are in the process of building, catching a glimpse into the process and challenges that unfold during opening. Today we’re fortunate to be having a conversation from the other side as our guests are approaching their 1 year anniversary. Our...
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Growing Reem’s California: From Farmer’s Market Stand to Omni-Channel Bakery and Cafe
Our guest today is just as skilled at facing challenges as she is at crafting Arab breads and more. Through the pandemic and an oven fire she has succeeded and grown, with plans for a new space coming soon. I was lucky to meet Reem Assil at FAB in Charleston this past June and was inspired by all...
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How to Bootstrap to More Ambitious Projects With the Mr Tuna & Bar Futo Team
We are joined today by Jordan Rubin, who is the co-owner of Crispy Gai, and chef-owner of Mr. Tuna, and the forthcoming Bar Futo — all located in downtown Portland, ME. Jordan has always been drawn to Japanese cuisine and has spent his 20-year career working in some of the top sushi bars across…
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Opening Late August With Top Chef Dawn Burrell
Our guest today is no stranger to competition and no stranger to media notoriety. She’s one of the rare few that has managed to strike twice, first as an Olympian and more recently as an acclaimed chef, working through some of the best restaurants in Houston, past the competition on Top Chef…
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How King David Tacos Are Becoming NYC's Favorite Breakfast Option
How do you go from a few Taco carts in 2017 to an 11,000 Square ft. Warehouse complete with kitchen and counter service in just a few years? Not to mention the 60+ retail outlets and coffee shops where you can score an Austin style breakfast taco. We are about to find out! Today on the show we…
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Under Wraps Until Now! Opening the Noortwyck
Today’s guests join us from the restaurant opening soon you’ve heard nothing about, but will undoubtedly be talked about, once the secret gets out. Or it opens? Which will come first? The Noortwyck is an elevated neighborhood restaurant focusing on delicious food and warm hospitality set to open…
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Buongiorno Cafe Spaghetti
Over the years there have been many trendy methods of naming your restaurant, from street numbers to creative abbreviations. I personally like when a business is straightforward, a book title that clearly describes its contents. Cafe Spaghetti does that, in a playful way, while leaving room for…
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Opening Ci Siamo With Chef Hillary Sterling
Ci Siamo means, we have arrived. And judging by the packed dining room and the buzzing, expertly trained service team at Ci Siamo last month, we may have finally arrived into the post covid era of dining. We’ve had the pleasure of knowing Chef Hillary since her time as CDC at A Voce with Chef…
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Hungry House the Anti-Ghost Kitchen Enters Its Second Season With Woldy Reyes & Kristen Barnett
At first glance, Hungry House reminds us of the experience we remember as a kid at the mall food court, the fantasy realized of having all of your faves available in one meal. However, Hungry House, its roster, and the way it works with its collaborators are much more than an indulgent trip to…
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Opening HAGS: Hospitality for All People
Opening a restaurant is a challenge. In the sense of the word that it’s hard, it’s expensive, stressful, and much more. Today’s guests are tackling that challenge, of course, but they’re also using their new restaurant as a challenge to the industry, to the norms that have been created, and the...
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From Bagel Sandwich Pop Up to Zabar’s for the Next Generation With Elyssa of Edith’s BK
We were first introduced to Edith’s in the summer of 2020 when we joined the line of several dozen other hungry Brooklynites looking for hand-rolled bagels and hot latkes. Fast forward 18 months and Ediths has 2 permanent locations including a brand new flagship complete with café and grocery....
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ReThink: Stating a Circular Non-profit With Matt Jozwiak
Every restaurant, no matter how hard they try to avoid it, ends up with food waste. Slow nights, weather impacted outdoor dining, pandemic surges and dips, and just the normal ebb and flow of running a restaurant can leave food on the table, literally. There have been options in the past, but how...
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Dacha 46- A Pop Up That Is Here to Stay
Are pop-ups here to stay? According to our guests today, YES! They are doing just that with their Eastern European cuisine, and building their pop-up and frozen Pelmeni business, Dacha 46, from the ground up after a successful run of pop-ups, including a term at our previous guest, Libby Lark’s...
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Sesame Is Here for a New Kind of Delivery Model
Our restaurant delivery system is broken. Can we all just agree on this? Restaurants are getting hammered with percent-of-sales fees, delivery drivers are hurting for fair pay, stability, and safety, and customers have been trained to expect faster delivery times and wider accessibility. We are...
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Lark brings New Life in Philly's Ironworks
We’ve tried this once before - booking a guest the day before they opened that is. And last time? Well, we had a quiet line… Today, though, our guest has made the time to chat with us on how he, along with his partner plan to open their doors to their new concept housed in a 150-plus-year-old…
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Building Outside In with Au Za'atar
2 years ago, a restaurateur building out his outdoor patio before investing in his interior dining room would have sounded like some sort of farce to be balked at by the likes of Mr. Wonderful on the latest episode of Shark Tank. But today, it just sounds downright smart. Unless you're part of…
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A Neighborhood Plan with Daily Provisions
Daily Provisions from USHG is the kind of neighborhood spot everyone welcomes. It is true all-day dining, from the classic Bacon Egg and Cheese in the morning to the Roasted Chicken in the afternoon. Don’t pass on the addicting sweets like cookies and crullers. But even with the muscle from a...
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Bringing together Family, Food & Coffee with Kinship Butcher & Sundry
The last year and a half has, amongst a few other things, upended the way we eat. We’ve embraced eating at home, whether it be cooking for ourselves or feasting on a bevy of elevated takeout menus. Giant grocery stores still exist, but many of us are ordering our staples online and turning to…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
After building one of New York’s most beloved taqueria groups, the team behind Taqueria Ramirez enters a new phase: three new restaurants in one year, a James Beard nomination, a new chef partnership, and a seafood wine bar opening in the West Village. This season follows Giovanni, Tania, Chef Carlos, and the Ramirez team as they scale from cult favorite to growing restaurant group, without losing the precision, personality, and trust that got them here.
RSSVERIFY
HOSTED BY
Tilit NYC
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Build: Restaurant 201 have?
The Build: Restaurant 201 currently has 134 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Build: Restaurant 201 about?
After building one of New York’s most beloved taqueria groups, the team behind Taqueria Ramirez enters a new phase: three new restaurants in one year, a James Beard nomination, a new chef partnership, and a seafood wine bar opening in the West Village. This season follows Giovanni, Tania, Chef...
How often does The Build: Restaurant 201 release new episodes?
The Build: Restaurant 201 publishes regularly with 134 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Build: Restaurant 201?
You can listen to The Build: Restaurant 201 on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Build: Restaurant 201?
The Build: Restaurant 201 is created and hosted by Tilit NYC.
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